A 25-year-old pleaded no contest Friday to voluntary manslaughter for an attack on a longtime Department of Water and Power employee in downtown Los Angeles after the 70-year-old victim had just finished his work day.
Gerson Carrillo Torres is facing 11 years in state prison, with sentencing set Nov. 17, according to Ricardo Santiago of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
Torres was initially charged with murder for the July 2, 2019, attack for punching Julius Rondez, who was walking in the 400 block of East Temple Street, near Alameda Street, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
The victim was knocked to the ground and hit his head on the pavement, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
Rondez, a married father and grandfather, died at a hospital the next day.
Torres — who police said was recognized from surveillance video — was in the area of Third and Wall streets when LAPD officers detained him several days later.
“Julius was the victim of a violent and senseless attack that occurred on July 2nd just after finishing work,” then-LADWP General Manager David H. Wright said after Rondez’s death.
“A member of the LADWP family, for over 33 years, Julius … had an impressive work ethic and drive that helped him succeed and overcome challenges.”